As a result of World War II experiences, the leaders of our Armed Forces recognized that any large-scale operation of the future would involve a joint effort on the part of two or more of the Armed Services; hence, the establishment of an institution of learning for instruction in joint operations was indicated. During World War II, this need was met, in part, by ANSCOL (Army-Navy Staff College) which was composed of Army, Navy, and Army Air Force officers assembled together in Washington for study of joint problems. ANSCOL was a wartime expedient, did not possess a permanent home, and in other ways was of a temporary nature. Accordingly, on June 28, 1946, the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the report of a special committee and directed that the Armed Forces Staff College be established.
On August 13, 1946, the Armed Forces Staff College was established at Norfolk, Virginia, at the site of the decommissioned Naval Receiving Station, on Hampton Boulevard two miles south of the Norfolk Naval base. The site is ideally located for the Armed Forces Staff College, as it is next door to the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief Atlantic and U. S. Atlantic Fleet, in close proximity to the Norfolk Naval Base, the Headquarters of Army Field Forces at Fort Monroe, the Headquarters of Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, and the Amphibious Training Command, U. S. Atlantic Fleet, and the Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek.
Under the directive providing for the establishment, it was set forth that the Armed Forces Staff College be a joint institution under the jurisdiction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with responsibility for operations and maintenance assigned to the Chief of Naval Operations. To discharge this responsibility for operations and maintenance, the Secretary of the Navy, upon the establishment of the college, established the U. S. Naval Administrative Command at the Armed Forces Staff College.
The mission of the Armed Forces Staff College as prescribed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff is: “To train selected officers of the Armed Forces of the United States in joint operations.” The scope of instruction, also prescribed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, includes:
a. Characteristics, organization, and employment of army, naval, and air forces and the relation of those forces to each other.
b. Joint staff techniques and procedures.
c. Trends of new weapons and scientific developments and their effect upon joint operations.
d. The organization, composition, and functions of theaters of operations and major joint task forces, and the responsibilities (strategical, tactical, and logistical) of the commanders thereof.
e. The preparation of plans for amphibious and airborne operations involving the employment of joint forces.
To carry out the mission and present the scope of instruction, the Joint Chiefs of Staff determined that the Office of the Commandant be rotated among Army, Navy, and Air Force officers, with two Deputy Commandants, one from each service other than that of the Commandant. The Commandant is of the rank of Major General or Rear Admiral or higher, and the Deputy Commandants are of appropriate flag or general officer rank, with the remainder of the faculty being of approximately equal Army, Navy, and Air Force representation. The first Commandant was Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, U.S.A.F., who was succeeded in 1948 by Vice Admiral J. L. Hall, Jr., U.S.N. The present Commandant is Lieutenant General A. D. Bruce, U.S.A., who completes the cycle of service rotation.
The faculty is composed of experienced officers—colonels and lieutenant colonels, captains and commanders—with equal representation from Army, Navy, and Air Force. Of the present Navy faculty members there are twelve line officers (two being naval aviators and one an experienced submarine officer), one officer each from the Medical, Supply, and Civil Engineer Corps, and three Marine officers (one being a naval aviator). Academically speaking, the faculty is divided into six divisions: (1) Personnel, Civil Affairs, and Military Government (2) Intelligence (3) Plans and Operations, (4) Logistics, (5) Communications, and (6) Research and Development. The heads, or directors, of divisions are equally divided among the three services, with the complement of each division having equal representation from each service. The assistant directors of each faculty division are from the services other than that of the director, and the entire system is rotated frequently so that full representation is given to each service at all times. A Review Board of one senior officer from each service is constantly busy reviewing textbooks and studying means of improving the course of instruction.
The scope of instruction covered in five months is so large and the problems studied are so complex that the College does not expect to produce graduates skilled in the techniques of all positions on the staff of the commander of a theater of operations or major joint force. The instruction emphasizes principles rather than detailed techniques. The aim is to develop selected officers of demonstrated ability and extensive experience by broadening their education and by encouraging them to think in terms of high-level problems, principles, and methods, and in joint terms. The instruction seeks to furnish a basis for the application of sound reasoning and judgment, in the light of accepted principles, to the solution of problems encountered in operating and administering major joint forces. The College attempts to guide and lead the student in his study, rather than “instruct” him in the narrow sense of the word.
Since not all matters under study have been resolved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff or other authority, controversial topics naturally occur and are taken under study. In dealing with controversial matters the College attempts to maintain an objective point of view. Through the medium of frequent trips to Washington by members of the faculty for continuing consultation with agencies of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the several departments, the latest guidance on such subjects is made available. Instructional media are chosen to permit the fullest discussion and formation of independent judgment. Wherever possible, work is performed by committees or staffs whose membership is jointly balanced. In this way students learn teamwork, learn to subordinate their loyalties to their own services for the good of the armed forces and the Nation, and gain a fuller understanding of the other services’ problems.
Based upon the methods used by the separate services in selecting students to come to the Armed Forces Staff College, it is assumed that the students are prepared for the curriculum by completion of schools at the highest level within their own service or by equivalent practical experience in varied command and staff positions, and that they are among the most competent officers of their rank and length of service. It is presumed that students are of high intellectual caliber, possessed of sound judgment, devoted to their profession, and that they will not only profit from being accorded the utmost in academic freedom, but will also have much to contribute to the course they are pursuing. The burden is placed upon the individual to take from the course of instruction according to his own needs, and he is encouraged to contribute in accordance with his training and experience. No grades are assigned, being considered unnecessary at the College’s level, and it is believed that competition for marks might jeopardize the desired objectives of full and free discussion, interchange of ideas, interservice cooperation, and mutual helpfulness.
The course of five months’ duration is divided into two phases of instruction: orientation and joint operations. In the orientation phase the characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of the tools of war employed by the various services, their peculiar techniques, and the relationship that must exist between land, sea, and air components are studied to the extent necessary to insure a sound common basic knowledge for joint planning. The course commences with an introduction to joint operations which presents a complete picture of the planning of a major joint operation in all its complexity and magnitude. It is presented to the student at the very start of the course to show the subjects which he will study in detail during the course. This is followed by orientation on the organization, combat characteristics, techniques, logistics, and communications of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Senior officers from the highest level of each service visit the College and explain the role of their service, or command, in warfare.
The joint operations phase of instruction commences with a lecture on the organization of a theater of operations and the responsibilities of a theater commander. A conference on the organization and general functions of a joint staff introduces staff organization and planning. The student explores the virtues and defects of various kinds of staff organization, both operational and administrative, and goes through the processes of the estimate of the situation, the commander’s decision, and the preparation of plans and orders. Amphibious and airborne operations are presented in detail. The problems and responsibilities of the joint expeditionary force commander and the means by which he exercises command and control are emphasized, and the principles are illustrated by historical examples.
Instruction is given by means of four types of instructional media: lecture, conference, seminar, and group discussion. At the College a lecture is defined as a formal organized speech or reading intended for instruction. No formal question period follows a lecture, but students are free to question the instructor, a member of the faculty, on the subject presented, immediately after the lecture.
A conference is a meeting In which a lecture or platform presentation is followed by an open discussion or question period. Throughout the first sixteen weeks of the course approximately half of the instruction is accomplished by this method. In general, conference subjects cover joint staff organization, techniques and procedures; the preparation of plans; characteristics, organization, and employment of army, naval, and air forces; organization, composition, and functions of theaters of operations and major joint task forces, and the responsibilities of the commanders thereof. Guest speakers, who are leaders in their fields, address the student body on topics which generally furnish background material and broaden the viewpoint of the student. Although the mission of the College, “To train selected officers of the Armed Forces of the United States in joint operations,” is never lost sight of, it is felt that certain broad background material presented by recognized experts in their fields is necessary for the broader education of an officer destined for the joint staff of a theater commander. One of the most valuable features of the curriculum is that eminent speakers, if they are sure that their words will carry no farther than the audience, often feel free to speak frankly on highly classified and controversial subjects. The College enjoys an excellent reputation for security and thereby safeguards this privilege. The question period of the conference, which follows the formal presentation, contributes a great deal to the instruction of the student body, for the students are experienced officers of outstanding ability and can be depended upon to supply searching and intelligent questions, which clarify, emphasize, or expand upon points brought out during the address and bring out facets of the subject not touched upon.
The seminar is an organized series of meetings of a group for the purpose of studying some subject or for the exchange of information about it. The agenda usually contains a problem or problems to be solved by the group acting as a committee or a joint staff. The seminar group consists of approximately fifteen students, representing all services, and a seminar adviser from the faculty. The faculty adviser insures that the schedule is adhered to and gives advice when appropriate, but instruction in the seminar is largely by student presentation, discussion, and group solutions. Nine seminars are conducted for each class, varying in length from 10 to 25 hours of classroom work each, with some seminars involving considerable work by students outside of scheduled hours. The seminars for the present class, whose titles are descriptive of their content are: The United States Army; The United States Air Force; The United States Navy; Theater Administrative Organization; Form, Content, and Scope of Joint Operation Plans, Orders, and Annexes; Defense of an Area; Theater Administrative Planning; Trends and Effects of New Developments on Joint Operations; and, Practicability of Establishing and Maintaining an Airhead.
For each seminar group a student Chief of Staff or Chairman is appointed who conforms, in general, to the following procedure: receives detailed instruction from the faculty adviser concerning the conduct of the seminar; thoroughly familiarizes himself with seminar material and determines what is to be accomplished during the seminar; organizes his group into a staff or committee as appropriate to accomplish the necessary work; controls his group in the preparation of its work by drawing up a work schedule, rendering necessary decisions, and insuring coordination between various staff sections when appropriate; and presents the finished work of his group, if required, to the seminar faculty adviser.
A group discussion is an organized meeting for exchanging information, explaining techniques, or studying a subject. The group discussion differs from the seminar in that it is limited to not more than four hours, frequently does not result in a formal solution, and is usually conducted as an informal round-table discussion. The principal object of the group discussion is to share information and points of view; sometimes an agreement may result, though this may not necessarily be the objective.
During the course, and outside of scheduled hours of instruction, each student is required to prepare a staff study, or a committee study, as assigned by the College. The object of the staff study is to train the student to conduct research upon a new and often unknown subject; to arrive at a logical solution, or conclusion, based upon facts available to him; and to present his study in a concise, clear, and orderly form.
The final six weeks of each course are devoted to a staff planning problem wherein the instruction received during the preceding sixteen weeks of the course is put to use in a realistic manner. In committees and point staffs students work out, in considerable detail, plans on theater of operations and joint force level for a major joint amphibious and airborne assault. Decisions are made and plans are worked out entirely by students, the faculty acting as advisers and umpires. Through rotation of assignments during a number of phases, students are given experience in a variety of responsible command and staff positions. In addition to gaining practice in joint staff procedures, students become familiar with a strategic area of the world.
Dividing the course of instruction in another fashion, the student has approximately 160 hours devoted to characteristics, organization, and employment of Army, Navy, and Air Force forces, and the relation of these forces to each other; 71 hours to joint staff techniques and procedures; 52 hours to trends of new weapons and scientific developments and their effect upon joint operations; 74 hours to the organization, composition, and functions of theaters of operations and major joint task forces, and the responsibilities (strategical, tactical, and logistical) of the commanders thereof; 71 hours to the preparation of plans for amphibious and airborne operations involving the employment of joint forces; 59 hours to broad background material; and 138 hours to the theater staff planning problem.
In the 160 hours devoted to the several Services are included field trips to Army, Navy, and Air Force installations, held at various times throughout the course, which assist in demonstrating the capabilities and limitations of the various services. A trip to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, allows the students to see the latest aircraft and techniques is use in the Air Force. The Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, provide? first hand information on the infantry and combined arms of the Army, and includes an airborne demonstration. The Army Proving Grounds, Aberdeen, Maryland, displays to the students the latest weapons being service tested for the ground forces. Students are taken out in a carrier of Air Force, Atlantic Fleet, to witness a day of carrier flight operations. The Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet, makes it possible for each student to have a day underway in a submarine, including several dives. A visit to the Amphibious Base, Little Creek, allows for an inspection of amphibious vessels and craft, and the opportunity is provided for the witnessing of an assault landing by a regimental combat team. These practical demonstrations point up the orientation instruction given at the College.
In the student body of the latest (eleventh) class there were 189 officers of the U. S. Armed Services, with equal representation from each service. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have stated that attendance at the Armed Forces Staff College should occur at some time between an officer's tenth and twentieth years of service, so the student body is composed of captains, colonels, commanders, and lieutenant colonels. A breakdown of the latest naval graduates showed 24 line, eighteen line (AVH), nine staff, ten U.S.M.C., one Coast Guard, and one Coast & Geodetic Survey. With the graduation of the recent class on July 2, 1952, 1840 graduates of the Armed Forces Staff College, from all U. S. Armed Services, have returned to their respective services with a better appreciation of their sister Services and with a knowledge of joint techniques and procedures that should bear fruit in the development of that most important weapon—teamwork.
One of the most important phases of the students’ education at the A.F.S.C. is not conducted in the classrooms or from the lecture platform, but consists of working together, playing together, and living together, which produces a true understanding of the sister Services. There are 176 apartments (sixteen apartments in each of eleven buildings) and four cottages within the limits of the college grounds. Some apartments are two-bedroom, others three-bedroom, and all are assigned so that faculty and students are thoroughly integrated as regards services. With Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines living together very closely, service differences soon disappear. With this large number of furnished quarters, only a small percentage of students are required to live off station in nearby residential suburbs of Norfolk.
All of the buildings at the College are named after campaigns or battles of World War II, the Administration Building being Normandy Hall; others are Luzon, Guadalcanal, Palau, Salerno, Okinawa, Sicily, Iwo Jima, etc. With such names in their everyday life, the history of service teamwork in World War II is constantly kept before the student. Even the children—and there were 367 children living within the college limits during the last class—grow up in a thoroughly joint atmosphere. For those students who are bachelors or who do not bring their families with them for the five months’ course there is an excellent B.O.Q., and some of the wardroom discussions that occur there are worth several lectures in ironing out inter-service problems. The two Deputy Commandants, the Faculty Executive, and the Commanding Officer, U. S. Naval Administrative Command, occupy the four cottages, while the Commandant lives in the Georgia House at the Naval Base.
Upon graduation the officers are scattered world-wide—some to joint staffs, a number to their respective Departments or the Joint Staff in Washington, the majority to normal Service assignments. This majority may not have the immediate opportunity to put into practice the joint education they have just had, but they do bring to their respective services a broader joint outlook, and they act as counterweights in balancing the scales between unilateral and joint action. The experience gained in World War II is being dissipated, especially in the attrition rate of leaders who were senior enough to exercise joint command. The function of the Armed Forces Staff College is to compensate for this loss of experience through the medium of theoretical and practical training in joint techniques and procedures. Before many years the graduates of the Armed Forces Staff College will be occupying the responsible positions in both staff and command for which they have been trained; and when this time occurs, unification—real teamwork— will become a fact in being as well as in law.